The guns were initially created for warfare reasons, to attack the enemy when wars and clashes were more frequent. In today’s world, guns are mainly used to maintain peace and protect civilians from crime inside the country. However, guns are still taking a shocking number of lives even in countries that have established peace. The government should strictly control armed weapons to minimize the occurrences of gun violence.
My opinion toward selling weapons is highly negative, as these mechanisms can be hazardous when obtained by the public. A person could use guns without technical training, they are relatively affordable for a large population of the United States, and the process of acquiring a weapon is straightforward. I strongly believe that guns require more moral training over technical preparation and should only be used by the members of the police and comparable facilities. In the last two decades, almost a quarter-million of Americans have been murdered by guns (Wu, 2020). By observing simple statistics, I can conclude that guns are the source of evil that grants an ordinary person a false feeling of power to take away people’s lives.
The opinion I stated in the first paragraph is formed by System-1 thinking. It is reactive and immediate due to my association of guns with evil and destruction. Guns represent death, and the topic of gun violence has prompted me to remember all the news reports about mass shootings and murders (Facione & Gittens, 2016). As a result, my response was impulsive and rapid, and the decision was based on negative situations and history. I used a heuristics technique to address this problem, as the possible solution was decided quickly using a mental shortcut. A heuristic approach to tackling gun violence may have a short-term but more rapid effect.
Heuristics and reactive thinking (system-1) could be dangerous in a high-risk situation, as the thoughts may be highly subjective and lack comprehensive analysis. Utilizing heuristic and reactive thinking may have increased risks because gun violence is severe, but analyzing and reflecting on the issue may consume more time and worsen the situation. I believe severe issues such as gun violence demand firm leadership, rapid decision-making, and strict response.
References
Peter, A., Gittens, C. A. (2016). Think critically (3rd ed.). Pearson.
Wu, C. (2020). How does gun violence affect Americans’ trust in each other?. Social Science Research, 91, 1-15.